9 December 2014 • 161

1st LEAD Mission Assembly. 29 - 30 November 2014 marked another milestone in the development of the Lasallian East Asia District. 15 Lay Lasallians and 12 Brothers gathered at the Hotel Benilde in Manila, Philippines for the 1st LEAD Mission Assembly. The 1st LEAD Mission Assembly's objectives were:

1. Reflect, discern, and articulate the realities of the Lasallian Mission in LEAD relative to the priorities articulated by the 45th General Chapter;

2. Identify the appropriate supports needed by the Sectors from LEAD; and 3. Articulate pertinent recommendations to LEAD including structures for Mission.

On day one, the participants worked by Sectors as they reflected on the realities of the Lasallian Mission in their own countries. They attended the affiliation of Mr. Jose Pardo that evening. The affiliation was an opportune moment for LEAD to emphasise the importance of sharing the Lasallian Mission with lay Lasallians.

Two other workshops were held the following day which allowed participants to propose recommendations for the next four years of LEAD, including possible structures for the Lasallian Mission in East Asia. The output of this Mission Assembly will feed into the discussions and reflections of the 2nd LEAD Chapter in May 2015. LEAD is grateful to the Planning Committee composed of Br. Steve Hogan (Chair), Dr. Carmelita Quebengco AFSC, Dr. Francis Loh Kok Wah, Mr. Dominic Ang, and Br. Richie Yap for the efficient organisation of the assembly.

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Affiliation of Mr. Jose Pardo. Prominent government and business leaders, Brothers and Lasallians from all over East Asia witnessed last 29 November 2014 the formal presentation of the Institute Letters of Affiliation to Mr. Jose Trinidad Pardo during the Eucharistic Celebration at the Most Blessed Sacrament Chapel in De La Salle University. It was fitting to hold the ceremony at DLSU, where he currently serves as the Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees.

The Letters of Affiliation is granted to members of the Lasallian Family who have helped the Institute through their deep involvement in the Lasallian Mission and have grown in appreciation of the Lasallian spirituality. Upon the request and recommendation by the Sector of Philippines of the Lasallian East Asia District, the Superior General, Br. Robert Schieler FSC, and his Council granted the affiliation to Mr. Pardo.

Mr. Jose T. Pardo for several decades, has supported the Lasallian Mission and the work of the Institute in the Philippines. Mr. Pardo is a product of Lasallian education since his primary years to a graduate degree in MBA at De La Salle College, now known as De La Salle University. Mr. Pardo’s involvement goes beyond the works of the Sector of the Philippines. He has been invited by the Superior General to be a member of the International Board of Counselors for the Institute. His work in the private and the public sector and the numerous awards given to him manifests and are expressions of his Lasallian perspective and values.

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2nd LEAD Assembly and Chapter (Part 1). The 2nd District Assembly commenced last 3 December at Microtel Hotel in Manila, Philippines and was attended by 140 Brothers from all over LEAD and other Districts plus 2 Sisters from the Hermanas Guadalupanas de La Salle. The first day was devoted to team building activities wherein Brothers had opportunities to meet new faces and deepen old bonds through games and group sharing activities. About 1/3 of the participants are new members since the 1st LEAD Assembly. The team building committee, namely Br. Michael Broughton, Br. Antonio Cubillas, Br. Rey Mejias, and Br. Dennis Magbanua, surprised the Brothers with a special raffle of prizes sponsored by Apple Inc. The evening Mass and dinner was hosted by De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde.

December 4 was organised as a Day of Formation and Recollection. The morning sessions’ theme was “Healthy Relationships in Ministry and

Religious Life.” Ms. Eva Galvey of the Emmaus Centre for Psycho - Spiritual Formation was the main resource person. The said centre has an ongoing partnership with the Southdown Institute in Canada. Her input primarily focused on ministerial boundaries, which helped the Brothers reflect on and review some personal, community and institutional practices that promote or threaten healthy relationships. The afternoon was devoted to the theme, “The Role of Catholic Schools in the Evangelisation of Asia”, preached by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio

Cardinal Tagle. Using the story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well, the charismatic Cardinal highlighted the importance and effectiveness

of a person to person encounter in evangelisation while sharing many personal experiences. He further emphasised the importance of the presence

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of the Brothers in the life of the students and the academic community. By evening, the Brothers went to the Most Blessed Sacrament Chapel of De La Salle University to venerate the Relics of the Founder and renew their vows during the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The University hosted dinner with a short program wherein members of the District Council and the Leadership Team were given tokens of appreciation for their service in the first four years of LEAD.

The following day, December 5, focused more on reports and generating responses from the Brothers. Br. Tom Lavin and Br. Sockie dela Rosa, both Capitulants of the 45th General Chapter, shared the priorities of the said chapter based on its draft report. Next to present were the LEAD Brothers who attended the CIL on the Revision of the Rule, namely, Br. Pat Tierney, Br. Rodrigo Treviño, Br. John D’Cruz, Br. Anselm Ling John and Br. Vincent Fernandez. The final report in the morning came from Br. Steve Hogan who reported on the outcome of the 1st LEAD Mission Assembly. The whole afternoon was allotted to the presentation of the District Evaluation, which was conducted online last October. Dr. Maureen Cleary OAM of Governance & Management Pty Ltd in Australia is the main facilitator for the 2nd District Chapter and was also facilitator during the alliance meetings that led to the restructuring of LEAD. She consolidated the evaluation and highlighted relevant points before inviting the Brothers to discern and propose recommendations to the 2nd District Chapter. She was ably assisted by Br. Gelo Paragas and Br. Butch Alcudia as documentors. After the Eucharist, the Brothers were treated to a special dinner hosted by a Lasallian Benefactor, Mrs. Vicky Amalingan - Sales.

The final day, December 6, saw the official opening of part 1 of the 2nd Lasallian East Asia Distict Chapter. After the morning prayer, LEAD Administrator Br. Richie Yap, conducted the roll call of all 36 members of the Chapter. This was followed by the Brother Visitor, as President of the Chapter, nominating Br. Tom Lavin as the Chapter Coordinator and Ms. Maureen Cleary as Chief Facilitator. The video message of Superior General Br. Robert Schieler was then played for the whole assembly. In his message, Brother Superior encouraged LEAD to “be very creative and very audacious” in promoting the vocation of Brothers and of all the members of the

Lasallian Family. Afterwards, LEAD Visitor Br. Edmundo Fernandez gave his State of the District Address, which was accompanied by a published report. Enough time was given for the Brothers to respond before they broke out into smaller groups where everyone had a chance to share his thoughts on the Visitor’s report. The summary of the group reports and recommendations were then presented during the plenary. To end part 1 of the 2nd District Chapter, PARC General Councillor Br. Ricardo Laguda gave the closing remarks. In a symbolic prayer ritual, the Final Sondage for Brother Visitor was held in a secret ballot by the members of the 2nd LEAD Chapter. At the beginning of the Closing Eucharist, the Liturgy Committee, composed of Br. Domingo Villamil, Br. Morris Thargyi, Br. Sockie

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dela Rosa, Br. Kelvin Tan, and Br. John Niran, explained the different symbols used during the Assembly’s morning prayers: Creation, Moses’ Burning Bush, Elijah’s Test of Fire, and the Star of Faith. Their overarching theme was “Light” and during the commissioning ritual, they gave out candles in the form of the LEAD logo in order to emphasise the role of each Brother as bearers of the Light of the World.

After the Mass, Brother Visitor expressed his gratitude to all those involved in organising the Assembly especially the Brothers in the Planning Committee: Br. Tom Lavin (Chair), Br. Gus Boquer, Br. Michael Broughton, Br. JJ Jimenez, Br. Joseph Klong, Br. Rodrigo Treviño, and Br. Richie Yap. All the Brothers were most grateful to the Lay Partners who worked behind the scenes but played a vital role in the assembly: Ms. Aimee Patiño, Mr. Keane Palatino, Ms. Grace Lazo, Mr. Marc Gepaya, Mr. Demy Cruz, Mr. Marco Polo, Ms. Nena Portillo, Ms. Che Che Manguiat, Mr. Anton del Rosario, Mr. David Leaño, Ms. Pauline Zamora, Mr. Miguel Ortega, Mr. Dexter Doria, Mr. Randy Casayuran, Ms. Remy Bautista, Ms. Nancy Martin, Mr. Norman Calara, Mr. Richard Jimenez, and the owners, managers, and staff of Microtel Hotel MOA.

Lasallian Schools Rank as Most Diverse. “In a recent list from Niche Rankings that identifies the Most Diverse Private High Schools in America, the top five ranked schools are Lasallian:

1. St. Joseph High School, Westchester, Illinois 2. Saint Mary’s College High School, Berkeley, California 3. De La Salle Institute – Institute Campus, Chicago, Illinois 4. De La Salle North Catholic High School, Portland, Oregon 5. La Salle High School, Pasadena, California

“According to Niche, the list ranks 532 high schools based on diversity statistics and more than 54,000 opinions from 13, 000 students and parents. Niche describes a high ranking as an indication “that the school is extremely

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diverse and fosters a community that accepts and promotes a diversity of viewpoints, backgrounds, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations.”

“Four other Lasallian schools were also in the top 100: De La Salle Institute – Lourdes Hall Campus, Chicago, Illinois (38); De La Salle High School, New Orleans, Louisiana (39); Christian Brothers High School, Sacramento, California (43); and St. John’s College High School, Washington, DC (66). Niche, which an expansion of the college search service Carnegie Mellon University students founded in 2002, provides reviews and insights on K-12 schools, colleges and neighborhoods.” (http://www.lasallian.info)

International Lasallian Boarding School in Napa. Justin-Siena High School is a co-educational independent Catholic High School sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers in the District of San Francisco - New Orleans. For more than 10 years, Justin-Siena has accepted International Students. Each year they welcome approximately 20 international students who hail from countries such as Brazil, Germany, Vietnam, Korea, China, Spain, and Italy. Justin-Siena's boarding program receives students 9th through 12th grade. They are extending their welcome to interested students and families in LEAD. For more information, visit their website: http://www.justin-siena.org

Download Brochure: https://adminlb.imodules.com/s/353/images/FileLibrary/7dd78031de474c7489a3029ad552133c.pdf

Videos: http://youtu.be/GaMRAU4fWRo and http://youtu.be/4HnsdTe0oD4

Year of Consecrated Life. For more information about the Year of Consecrated Life, visit the following websites for schedules, activities, and resources:

http://www.lasalle.org/en/year-of-consecrated-life http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/consecrated-life/year-of-consecrated-life http://www.ukreligiouslife.org/events/year-of-consecrated-life-2015 https://www.facebook.com/YearOfConsecratedLife

Birthdays. Let us remember in our prayers our dear Brothers who are celebrating their birthdays this December:

01 Br. Lawrence Blake 05 Br. Stephen Pitchit Wedcharak 24 Br. Edward Soe Wai 01 Br. Antonio Cubillas 12 Br. Noel Hrang Lal 24 Br. Armin Luistro 02 Br. Andrew Loke 12 Br. David Liao 25 Br. Johnny Perapong 04 Br. Patrick Tierney 12 Anselm Ling John 27 Br. Benilde Preecha Trikaew 05 Br. John Pongpat Khasochan

Fraternally,

Br. Edmundo L. Fernandez FSCHong Kong

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